Star Crossed
by iamchouchin
Summary: A young man and his father were seeking revenge. They killed the people behind a massacre 16 years ago and there was one remaining target. But what if the young man suddenly fell in love with a young woman who was the daughter of their last target? AU
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: ** I do not own Fairy Tail and its characters. They all belong to **Hiro Mashima**, though the plot's mine. ;D

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**Prologue**

The town of Kolten was a small town with people living in simplicity. Modernization hadn't reached their town because of a forest separating them from the eyes of the whole world. No one dared to cross or even go near that forest because of the rumors spreading from the whole country of Fiore. They say that within the forest lived the most vicious animals you could imagine. A merchant once dared to go through the forest and ended up being reported as missing. Since then, the people believed the spreading rumors. Unbeknownst to them, no vicious animals were really living within the said forest and that forest was the place where the people of Kolten got the lumbers they used for their daily lives.

The citizens of Kolten were very peace-loving and jolly people. It didn't cross their minds to leave their hometown in exchange for a better life out in the city. Koltenians love their town so much and swore that they will never dessert their hometown. Their main form of living is farming. The soil in Kolten was very rich in minerals that made it suitable for farming. Every year, they held a festival for the gods; thanking them for another year of successful harvesting. With all of these, the people of Kolten were very contented on what they had except one whom practically betrayed their hometown.

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The S.S.S. Railway Corporation was the only company who provide railroads and trains across the whole country. They managed to connect all provinces, cities and towns of Fiore except for the small towns beyond the most feared forest such as the town of Kolten. They wanted to spread their influence all throughout the country but the forest was preventing them to do so. All their hopes were starting to vanish until a very fateful meeting.

It came to their knowledge that no vicious animals were living in the said forest, thanks to a Koltenian who approached them the other day. Of course, this made them very delightful and paid the said Koltenian with a great amount of jewels in return. After their transaction, the said Koltenian vanished and they never saw him again.

After a year they finally did their plan. They started cutting down half of the trees in the forest and cemented the pathway they made. After that, they implanted railroads connecting the forest from the world. They continued on doing these until they saw a clearing. For the first time, the view of Kolten amazed their eyes. For a town where modernization never existed, that town was very civilized.

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A mass-murder killed all the people of Kolten. After the Koltenians disagreed and revolt against them, the S.S.S. had come to a decision to kill them and burn all their houses into ashes. The Koltenians struggled to survive but their efforts were no match to their hi-tech weapons. The sound of crying children echoed all throughout the small town. Mothers tried to bring their children to safety. Men were fighting for their family and town. Chaos was bestowed upon the town. After months of bloody war, Kolten was eradicated.

The knowledge about the war never reached the world. No one dared to know it. No one cared for Kolten. Those made a man in rage. That man was the sole survivor of the mass-murder and he swore to his breath that he will get revenge for what they done to his hometown. Someday, he will get revenge.

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**7 years later**

An orphanage called 'The Heaven's Children' had a child who was also a survivor of the war but the nuns managing the orphanage never dared to tell him. His past was very bloody and chaotic, and they never wanted to make that little boy traumatized. They found him within the forest. He was still a year old then. He was with his mother who was lying dead on the ground. His shirt was full of blood and he kept on crying. After they saw the pitiful state of the child, they decided to bring him to their newly opened orphanage and named him Jellal.

Jellal was a very sweet and nice boy. He was willing to help other children in trouble which made the nuns loved him so much. He had an unruly blue hair and for some odd reason, a red marking across his right eye. He had sense for justice and a very good leadership skill. The nuns were so happy that despite his tragic past, Jellal grew into a very good boy.

One day, a new orphan arrived on the orphanage. She was so tiny and had a very intriguing scarlet hair. She was very timid and never interacted with the children there. The nuns kept on asking for her name but she said nothing. When she felt answering their question, she murmured an 'Er...' which was never continued, so the nuns decided to call her 'Er-chan'.

"Hey miss newbie, why don't you show us what you draw there, huh? We all showed ours", one of the children said with a scowl on his face. He seemed very annoyed at the newbie's behaviour. The little girl tried her best to hide her drawing. She perfectly knew that they will just laugh at her work like the children in the town she used to live. But despite all of that, she never gave up on drawing. She loved to draw and she wanted to become an artist just like her mother.

The bully kept on until Jellal noticed the commotion. He approached both children and shoved the bully away from the little girl. He stood in front of the little girl protectively. The bully and Jellal glared at each other until the bully surrendered. He perfectly knew that if the nuns knew about this, they will just defend Jellal and he will be again the bad guy in their eyes. They always saw Jellal as the good guy which made him very annoyed. He couldn't wait for someone to adopt him so he would have a reason to leave that place.

"Hey little girl, are you alright?" he said to her with his very soothing voice. That made the little girl relaxed a bit. She knew that this boy in front of her was very nice but that would not make her guard down. As a response, she nodded.

That made Jellal sighed. "I'm glad you're alright. By the way, why do you keep on hiding your drawing? I bet that's really good". He waited for her response but he received none. If this girl doesn't want to, then he'll never force her. He just smiled a bit and patted her head lightly. "You know what; you should not hide your talent from the world. It's a gift from God that you should cherish and be proud of." With that, he smiled a bit and turned away to leave. When he was about to move his little right foot forward, someone grabbed his wrist. He turned his head and saw the little girl holding his wrist.

"P-please don't g-go. W-when I got here, no one, except for the nuns, was nice to me. Y-you're the very first one who actually talked to me. A-and, if it's okay with you, I-I wanted to be friends with you", she stuttered. She couldn't look at his eyes. She was so embarrassed and felt her cheeks heat up. She waited for his response but Jellal was too surprised to answer. "I-if you don't want to..."

"Yes. I wanted to be your friend" he answered, interrupting her. He smiled a bit and the little girl let his wrist go. He offered a hand and she gladly took it. They shook hands and this made her smiled timidly. "By the way, I'm Jellal"

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**3 years later**

"No! Why are you taking her", Jellal screamed as he watched Er-chan being taken by a couple who was visiting the orphanage for some time now. Is she being adopted? Is she going to leave the orphanage? More importantly, is she going to leave him? The nuns kept hold of him so he wouldn't make a scene. They never saw Jellal like this. Perhaps, this little girl was very important to him.

Er-chan kept on sobbing. She couldn't do anything. She was being adopted. Even she didn't want to, she couldn't oppose. That was the very reason why they were at an orphanage, to get adopted. Her foster parents pitied her and the young boy so they decided to give them a minute to talk to each other. As they released their hold on her, she immediately ran towards Jellal holding a folded paper.

"J-Jellal, as much as I wanted to, I can't stay here forever. Getting adopted is our purpose for staying here", she said while crying and sobbing. "D-don't worry, I'll never forget you. Here, have this." She handed him a folded paper. "You're my very first friend"

Jellal weakly took it from her hand. It was revealed that the paper had a drawing in it. Her drawing. It was the first time he saw her 'masterpiece' and he was glad but he never stopped crying. "I-I promise you that I'll find you, wherever you may be. Count on that".

She smiled a bit and nodded. He smiled too. Her foster parents went to them and took Er-chan away from him. It was heart-breaking for him but he will fulfil his promise to her. They waved each other goodbyes as the car she was in started moving.

Six hours had passed when he last saw her. It was sad but his life must continue. He must be happy for her. Her dreams of having a complete family will now come true. Even so, once he gets out of that orphanage he will still fulfil his promise. He will find her. His thoughts were interrupted when he saw a nun running towards the main office. She was in a hurry like she has something important to say. His curiosity grew and secretly followed the said nun. When the nun reached her destination, she quickly shut the door, not noticing the small figure following her. As for Jellal, he cupped his ear and brought it close to the door. He could hear everything they were saying. The next thing he heard made her eyes wide open. Tears were starting to well up. He wouldn't believe it. It couldn't be! She was...

"Er-chan and her foster parents died in a car accident!"

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**A/N: **Hi guys! Thanks for making an effort to read my very first chapter. I cannot promise you a faster update but I will try my best to do so. ^^

I would gladly accept criticisms from you guys so click the 'Review This Story' link and start reviewing. ;D


	2. The Final Target

**A/N: **Thanks for all those who reviewed! I really appreciate it. *teary-eyed*

**babydolly – **Thanks! Sorry if I didn't update sooner *gomen* By the way, I'm a fan of your story (Right Here Beside You) and it's really nice. Hope you'll update that soon ;)

**Velgamidragon – **Yeah, with having that tragic past, who will not get angry? Haha. My avatar **WAS** Austria. He is one of my favourite characters in Hetalia together with England and Ore-sama (I know you know him).

**wakamehime530 – **Oh no, I found myself a Grammar Nazi! Hahaha, just joking! Thanks for appreciating my work *teary-eyed again?*. I promise to work harder! And yes, it was inspired by a drama series with lots of action.

**xXKami-Kara-no-TenshiXx – **Thanks! Yes, I got the inspiration from City Hunter. I really love that series! Belarus? Are you a fan of Hetalia? *crossed-fingers*

**Jacovy – **Haha, I don't know what I will respond to you. *peace* Anyway, thanks for reading this!

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**Disclaimer: **I don't own Fairy Tail. It's** MASHIMA-SENSEI's **work. If I do own Fairy Tail, I would make more Jerza moments. Please Mashima-sensei, more Jerza!

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**The Final Target**

In a slightly lighted room, a man wearing a suit and coat was silently deliberating files which were scattered on his wooden table. His brows were furrowed which made his wrinkles on his forehead more visible than it used to be. The man seemed to be in his early 50's but his posture was as perfect as ever. 16 years had easily flown away but in spite of that, time will never dissipate his resolve. He will give justice to all who sacrificed their lives. And he knew he will succeed. The silence lingering around the room broke as the wooden door flung open, revealing a silhouette of a man. He seemed to be exhausted but he didn't care. The important thing was the news he was going to tell him.

"So, how was it?" the older man asked. He stopped what he was doing earlier and focused his sight on the man in front of him. The man was wearing a completely black outfit with a black fabric mask covering his face. He answered with a muffled voice which made the older man raised an eyebrow.

"Why don't you take off that mask of yours first before reporting to me?" The man in black did so, revealing his unruly bright blue hair and his odd red marking across his right eye. His green piercing eyes was looking at the older man sitting on a black leather office chair. "Jellal, so how was it? Did you finally take care of him?"

"Yes, Father", he answered in a very soft voice, slightly bowing his head. "It was quite easy. And for some reason, none of his bodyguards were there to protect him. I guess, he was just too bankrupt to pay for bodyguards and I am very thankful for that", he smirked maniacally but the older man he called 'Father' never felt any fear on him.

"Where did you dispose the body?", he inquired like it was just a normal conversation. He grabbed one of the files on his table and started glaring at the photo attached to a paper. He was glad that another one of his most spiteful enemy is now dead. And he died because of him.

"Let just say, he will be swimming with the fishes for quite some time", he said, that maniac smirk of his was still plastered on his face. He never showed mercy for the dead guy. All he knew was he had to do it. He had to do the right thing. For his 'father' and for all the people who were once living in peace.

The man they killed was Robert Sinclair. The second largest investor of the S.S.S. Railway Corporation with 30% of the stocks. He was also the trusty friend of the mayor of Magnolia City. Apparently, Mr. Sinclair had illegal transactions. He was the mastermind for the kidnapping of young and beautiful tourist women. Every two months, he held a secret auction and bid the kidnapped tourists to his wealthy contacts with a very high price. According to his transaction notebook, the largest amount he made in exchange of a single tourist was 45,000,000,000 jewels. The 'diamond girl', or so they called her because of her worth, was sold to a man named Makato Ugaki, one of the richest businessman in Fiore. Unfortunately, Ms. 'diamond' had never been retrieved alive. After Jellal exposed his 'monkey business', he pulled out his stocks in S.S.S. and planned to leave the country. However, all his wealth was confiscated by the government thus making him bankrupt. And that was when Jellal decided to finish the man, when everyone resented him, when he had nowhere to go.

"Good job, Jellal. The S.S.S. is now starting to crumble as the two most important stock holder were now gone. First is Gino Sutton, second is Robert Sinclair and the third one will the most exciting of them all. The man who practically own the S.S.S., Arthur Scarlet. I heard he suspected that he's the next target so he hired ten more bodyguards to protect him", he said, adjusting from his seat. He handed Jellal some files he can use to his next mission. "Find his dirtiest secret and just like you did to the other two, kill him brutally."

"Yes. Father"

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She kept on running. Running like there's no tomorrow. She had to. If she stopped, she will be killed. Her long scarlet hair danced with the cold breeze as she ran for her life. No one will save her. She was alone. The coldness of the snow scattered on the ground pierced through her skin. It hurts like hell. Her feet were going numb and she felt she was going to lose all her strength. She had no destination in mind, she just kept running. Her vision was becoming blurry. All she can see was pure white until someone grabbed her waist and she saw a glimpse of the color blue.

RING!

Erza jolted up on her bed as she panted heavily. She was shivering while sweating really badly. That nightmare kept haunting her for months now and she did not like it. She didn't understand what it was trying to say. She was lucky her alarm clock had waked her up. If it didn't, maybe she was dead right now. She hugged her knees and prayed. Prayed for her safety and her family's. Even though she had misunderstandings with her father, she still loved him because she knew that deep inside his serious facade, he loved his daughter. We wished her dream will not happen.

Her alarm clock rang so loudly that it waked up her dorm mate, Lucy Heartfilia. She had mid-length blonde hair tied in a single pigtail. She was very cheerful conflicting her bestfriend's personality. She came from a very rich family but ran away because of some conflicts with her father. Even so, her father still sustained what she needed by depositing her monthly allowance on her bank account. Her mother died when she was still 10 years old which made her relationship with her father worse. But after all these tragedy, she still managed to smile.

She groaned a little and started rubbing her eyes. When she glanced at her bestfriend, she jolted up and immediately ran to her. She hugged Erza and started playing with her scarlet hair. "What happened to you, Erza?", she asked sweetly, comforting her. She perfectly knew what it was. Erza had been complaining about a nightmare that was bothering her for a month now and it was kinda weird. What is this all about? When Erza first told her about the nightmare she just advised her to shrug it off, but it's different now. How can a single dream haunt you for a month? It's absurd!

Erza raised her head and looked at Lucy. Her eyes reflected fear but she had to be strong. And besides, it was just a dream, nothing more nothing less. "I dreamt of it again", she said weakly, trying to get loose on Lucy's embrace. Lucy noticed it and removed her hold on her. She almost forgot, Erza didn't like this kind of affection. "But don't worry Lucy, I'm perfectly fine. No dream can stop me from living my life" she added, her voice showing more confidence than before.

"Now that's the Erza I know!", she exclaimed happily. Erza was always like this. After a storm, she can easily stand up like nothing happened. Erza is one of the strongest and toughest girls she met but in spite of that, she is also one of the most kind-hearted people she ever knew. Maybe that was the reason she liked her so much. Erza is her bestfriend forever.

"Um...Lucy?"

"Y-yeah"

Both of them looked at the clock. It was already quarter to 8. The sun was already shining so brightly and many students, just like them, could be seen on the streets, walking towards their school. They are going to be late. Both of them were really shocked and they realized that their alarm clock was broken. Erza could perfectly remember that she set it on 6:30 am. But, nothing's going to change now. The one who gets to the bathroom first wins.

"We're going to be late!", they both exclaimed racing towards the bathroom.

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**A/N: **Thanks for making an effort to read this. Like I always say, I cannot promise you a faster update but I'll try my best to do so. :)

Reviews make me happy so click the review button and make a review, people! XD


	3. Punishment?

**A/N: **Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews, favourites and alerts! It really made me so happy :) Anyway, sorry for the late update. Also, I want to thank these wonderful people: **Jacovy**, **anon**, **blunonoe**, **YellowFan98 **and **arika518 **(and of course my dear readers). You guys are great!

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**Disclaimer: **Fairy Tail isn't mine. It's **Hiro Mashima**'s wonderful work.

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**Punishment?**

Fairy Academy was one of the most famous and prestigious school in the whole Fiore. It was where the most successful people graduated from. They said Fairy Academy taught their students the importance of equality, discipline and unity. So for them, one's social status didn't matter. Whether the student was rich or poor, he/she will be treated equally just like everyone else who were studying there. And as a prestigious school, Fairy Academy hoped that their students would learn a lot from them, in academics, recreations, spiritual, conduct and many more. Just like the unending mystery of the existence of fairies, Fairy Academy believed that learning was also an unending mystery. Learning would never stop at the four corners of a school. Learning is everywhere.

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In a busy and crowded street of Magnolia, two female students were running very fast like someone was following them. The warm breeze played with their hair as they made way to their destination. The warmth of the sunshine pierce through their skins which made them slightly irritated. They were sweating profusely. They had to hurry or else they'll face punishments and they didn't want that to happen. Fairy Academy is very strict when it comes to tardiness.

"Don't be a slow poke Lucy. Hurry!", a panting Erza said. She was very tired but she mustn't stop. Education is very important to her. She knew that she'll need it especially when she finally takes over their family business, the S.S.S Railway Corporation. She can clearly remember her father's words when was still a child. He said that one day she will take over his place. And that's the reason she must prepare herself for that very huge responsibility. She will never bring disgrace to their family's name. She will make her father very proud of her.

"Y-yeah", Lucy answered very weakly, trying to catch up with Erza. She was very tired as well. She didn't want to face the punishment but she can't go on. Lucy was never used to this kind of 'torture' and it was their first time to be late. It was the alarm clock's fault! She reminded herself to buy a new alarm clock before they go home.

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Class 2-2 was in its usual state, very noisy and chaotic. It had 35 students in it which was the smallest number of students in a class. The students were very rowdy especially the boys. But they, if they wanted to, can be real gentlemen to the ladies. Class 2-2 was the most fun-filled class in the whole Fairy Academy and that was the reason students from that class never wanted to be transferred from other classes. In Class 2-2, students can be themselves and they can do whatever they wanted to.

"Hey Gray! Did you ever wonder why Lucy and Erza are not here yet?, a pink-haired guy inquired. His name is Natsu Dragneel. He was the foster child of a businessman. Being a foster child wasn't easy for him. When he was younger, he kept on searching for his real parents but with no success. Many teased him for being an orphan but that didn't affect him that much. He became a very lively and sometimes annoying person. He was the clown of Class 2-2. "They had never been late right?"

"Now that you mentioned it, yeah", a black-haired man answered, sitting up on his chair. His name is Gray Fullbuster. He was raised by his father alone because of some tragedy 12 years ago which killed his mother. 3 years after the tragedy, his father married another woman who had already a child slightly older to him. Gray was very arrogant and cocky but in spite of that, he had many fan girls which made him an instant heartthrob. For some reason, he loved ice so much and he can survive in a very cold environment. "Where could they be?"

Suddenly the wooden door opened revealing a man in his 40's. His purple hair was neatly combed. He was wearing a white polo shirt with black pants. The man was carrying some lecture notes and a box of chalk. The class suddenly became quite and all students were now sitting on their proper seats. The arrival of the man didn't surprise the class but the presence of an unfamiliar face did. He had blue hair with an odd red marking across his right eye. He dressed just like them except it was more decent. Together, the two made their way in front of the whole class. The purple-haired man was their class adviser while the other seemed to be a transfer student. The class stood and greeted their adviser then suddenly, the door flung open again, revealing two female students. Everyone's eyes were on them as the two girls panted heavily. After they caught their breaths, they bowed their heads and apologized for being late. The teacher motioned them to take their seat and everyone and the two late girls did so.

"Okay class. We will be having a new student", he said as he pointed his open palm to him. "I want all of you to treat him nicely especially you", he added, glaring at Natsu. With that, Natsu flinched and nodded nervously. Why was he always the bad guy? All the 'bad things', or so they called it but not Natsu, happened was just his way to say hello. Is making friends a bad thing nowadays? The teacher motioned the newest student to introduce himself to the class. He nodded, understanding the message he was trying to say.

The boy stood proudly in front of the class. Confidence was seen on his expression as he bowed his head and started his introduction. "Good morning". He raised his head to see their reactions. "It is nice to meet you all. My name is Jellal Fernandes. I'm 17 years old and I live just across the street." He bowed again. "Please take care of me".

Many, especially most of the girls, seemed to like him. He was very handsome, tall and seemed to be nice. And they bet he was rich too. The girls just couldn't get their eyes off him as he stood in front very proudly. He then became the newest heartthrob of Class 2-2. Their thoughts were interrupted when the teacher was deciding where he will sit. While he was looking all around, some of the girls wished he will be seated near them so they can be closer to him. When the teacher spotted a nice seat, he suddenly spoke. "Jellal, you can sit on that empty chair beside Miss Scarlet." All the girls became disappointed.

"Yes sir" he said with an odd smile plastered on his face. Miss Scarlet, huh? His work will be easier this way. The daughter of their last target will be his seatmate. He walked towards his seat and noticed that Ms. Scarlet was looking at him. Their eyes met and an image of a young girl suddenly flashed on his mind. No, it can't be her. This girl is the daughter of an evil man. She's not her. He sat on his chair, still trying to shrug off his ridiculous idea. He will not be fooled again.

"Okay class, let us begin our lesson for today", their adviser said which made Lucy and Erza sighed. The two girls thought that he already forgot about the punishment. They were safe. They kept on celebrating on their heads until they heard their adviser spoke again. "But before that". This made the girls gulped really hard. "Miss Heartfilia and Miss Scarlet will tell us all the reason for their tardiness"

The two girls instantly stood up from their seats. Their hands were really cold and their hearts were beating so fast. They were really nervous. What could their punishment be? All eyes were on them even Jellal's. He was enjoying seeing Miss Scarlet on her vulnerable side and he wanted to see more side of her. They both gulped and spoke in unison. "O-our alarm clock was broken." This gained a loud laughter from the whole class, even Jellal chuckled a bit. What a pitiful excuse they gave!

"Oh, is that it?", their teacher asked sarcastically. He heard that excuse many times from different students and he never thought that he would be hearing it again from Lucy and Erza, to think that they were one of the top students here. "You know there is a corresponding punishment for your tardiness, right?" The two girls nodded nervously. "So here they are". The teacher gathered all his breath which made the two girls more nervous than before. "You, Miss Heartfilia", he said, pointing his index finger on her. "You will be cleaning this class' blackboard and eraser before lunch and after your last period's dismissal for two weeks." This made Lucy flinched. She can't believe that she was on the cleaning duty. She never cleaned anything before except for her hair and body. Erza was the one who did the dirty work on their dorm room. "And you, Miss Scarlet". He adjusted his index finger so it was now pointing at Erza. "You will be in charge of Mister Fernandes for the whole two weeks. You must give him a tour around the academy and you must never leave his side until the dismissal of your last period for two weeks". This made Jellal smiled slyly.

Erza wanted to prove herself as a very responsible person and worthy of managing their family business. This was the punishment for her action and she must accept it gladly. And besides, how hard can it be? She was just going to do some guiding to the new student. She took a glance at the new student and caught him looking at her. She immediately looked away and focused her sight on their adviser. He seemed to be nice. She gathered all her determination and answered. "Yes. I gladly accept my punishment."

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**A/N: **I hope you enjoyed this one. Yeah, I know it's kinda lame but I need to show some development in their relationship, right? Just a warning, the next chapters will also be like this. I guess the real action will start around chapter 8 onwards. Anyway, did you read the latest chapter? Erza was AWESOME there! I love her even more now! ERZA, YOU'RE SO COOL, I LOVE YOU! (never underestimate Titania!)

Before I forget, I will not update this story sooner because unlike most of you, school will begin in our country soon so I expected myself to be very busy by that time. I guess being an incoming first year college student will eat most of my time :( Maybe a chapter per month will do. Anyway, please leave a review! :D


	4. She's Not Her

**A/N: **So here it is. I kind of updated this story earlier than I thought as a response to **babylovee**'s (formerly known as **babydolly**) request. Thank goodness our professors didn't give us any homeworks. Oh, I love all my profs! Anyway, I want to thank those who read, reviewed and added this to their alerts and favourites especially these awesome people: **babylovee**, **YellowFan98**, **splitheart1120**, **bluenonoe**, **anon** and lastly **Jacovy** (yes, you're really wonderful!)

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**Disclaimer: **I don't own Fairy Tail. If I do, I am freaking rich right now XD ©**Hiro Mashima**.

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**She's Not Her**

Lucy and Erza leisurely walked on the busy streets of Magnolia, enjoying the soothing warmth of the sun's rays. Their gray fleeted skirts were moving with the wind. Also, their blonde and scarlet locks danced with the morning breeze, messing it a little but they don't care, in fact they were enjoying their little walk towards Fairy Academy. And unlike yesterday, they woke up just before the sun rose over the horizon, thanks to their newest alarm clock. Lucy bought one before she got home last night like what she said yesterday morning. Though, their punishment still bothered them but only a little. They kept on walking not breaking the silence engulfing the two of them until something popped in Lucy's mind.

"You know what. I think he already thought of this punishment a long time ago even before we did any violation against the school rules", Lucy concluded, halting from walking. She was referring to their homeroom adviser, Mr. Conbolt. That also made Erza stopped while raising an eyebrow. She looked at Lucy with confusion etched on her beautiful face.

"What makes you think that?" The scarlet haired girl asked, still raising an eyebrow.

"Didn't you notice it?" Lucy said, kinda surprised with her discovery. Really? Erza didn't really notice it? It was not like her at all. She was known to be smart and wise that was why it was very surprising that she was completely oblivious to the fact behind their punishment. She suddenly smirked. She felt smart, really smart. She figured out something that Erza didn't. She felt proud. She then adjusted her non-existent glasses and explained everything to the other girl like a detective who just solved a mystery. "It's elementary, my dear Erza. I guess you also thought that our punishment isn't that bad, right? But, why is everyone afraid of receiving a punishment from Mr. Conbolt?" Erza just shrugged. "You see, Mr. Conbolt knows our weaknesses. I, for once, hate any kind of cleaning duties while you hate interacting with complete strangers. So, the real punishment for us is to face and learn to deal with our weaknesses. In short, Mr. Conbolt is targeting our weak spot."

"And so? I really don't care. All I know is just I'm going to spend my two weeks with a guy who I hardly know. Even though it kinda irritated me to be followed around or rather to follow him around, I must still face this. This is my punishment after all", Erza said with a straight face then continued on walking. Lucy was stunned on what she just said. She was really courageous and determined and those were one of the characteristics she liked about her.

"Erza! Wait for me!"

* * *

Erza decided to tour the new student, Jellal to be exact, around the school after their last period ended. It was a good thing that their teacher on last period dismissed the class early which was an advantage to her. With that, she could tour him and go home earlier than she expected. She spent her whole day with him like what she was told so but unfortunately, almost no conversation was made during that time. They never talked to each other which was, in Erza's opinion, totally awkward. She didn't know what to talk about with him but she tried her best to do so. She asked some random questions which he answered quickly and after that another awkward silence was engulfing them again. The day went on like that.

They walked together with Erza being in front through the marbled hallways of the school. Her long scarlet hair was swaying side to side as she walked with gracefulness, like what a member of a well-known family should. She felt very confident despite the awkward silence around them. Little did she knew, Jellal was observing her keenly with both his hands in his pockets. It was part of his mission after all. In his opinion, this tour wasn't necessary because he didn't plan on staying in this school after he got his mission done. Well, playing along might be fun with him though.

Erza finally thought of breaking the silence. She turned to face him which caught him off guard and spoke. "I guess you figured it out but I'm going to tell you anyways." She raised her right arm with her palm open upwards and presented the whole third floor or rather the hallway before them to him. "This whole third floor is occupied by the second year students like us. But there are also some special rooms for the clubs here like this one." She said while adjusting her arm so it would be pointing the door on their side. "This room belongs to the Art Club."

Jellal was going to grab the door knob and open it until Erza noticed it and immediately grabbed him by the wrist, stopping him from whatever he was going to do. Jellal looked bewildered and raised his eyebrow as if questioning Erza. "You see this time of the day, the club members are doing whatever they do during their club activity" Jellal still didn't understand and raised his eyebrow a little more. Erza, seeing this, understood and explained further. "During their club activity, the Art Club doesn't want to be disturbed because according to them, any distraction will make their artistic concentration break. And believe me, you wouldn't wish to mess with them. They're kinda psychotic, you know?"

Jellal nodded in understanding and they continued on walking until he noticed that she was still holding his wrist. He felt somewhat nostalgic and remembered the times when he and his childhood bestfriend played along the backyard of the orphanage. She used to hold his hand or rather his wrist like this. Then realization finally dawned on him. What was he thinking? He patted her shoulder lightly and spoke. "Um...Miss Scarlet, could you finally let go of my wrist. It's kinda uncomfortable."

With that said, she finally let it go and, if he hadn't mistaken it, blush a little. She immediately turned away from him and continued their walk. Without her knowing, he smiled slyly. So, another side of Miss Scarlet had been unfolded before him.

Minutes passed and they're still walking. Jellal sighed a bit and thought about what she said earlier. Man, as if anyone in this school was sane, well maybe except for that blonde girl in his class. She seemed to be quite normal compared to the others. If he remembered, she was the daughter of a Heartfilia. Jude Heartfilia, perhaps?

They walked down on one of the stairways and proceeded to the second floor. She finally stopped in front of a two large wooden doors. Unlike the other doors they saw earlier, this one was definitely grander. While he was observing the carvings on the door, Erza suddenly faced him and gave him a small smile which startled him. Not again. Did his eyes playing tricks on him? For a second there, Erza looked like his childhood bestfriend. He shrugged his head lightly. No, she's not her. She died a long time ago. It can't be her. Besides, she's the daughter of a renowned man.

Erza patted his shoulder which made him snapped out his trance. "I know you're tired and I am too but I am obliged to do this so please bear with it. Anyway, this is the school's auditorium. Do you want to see it?" she asked and he nodded in response.

Erza pushed the door open and darkness greeted them. She looked for the switch and when finally felt it, she immediately turned it on revealing a very spacious room. There was a very wide and large polished wooden stage in front slightly covered with red curtains hanging on the top of the said stage. About hundreds of red theatre chairs were facing the stage. It was very huge indeed. While he was still looking at the auditorium, Erza suddenly turned the lights off. "That's enough. We'll be going to the teacher's parking lot. Don't worry. It'll be our last destination."

They walked down on another stairway and were going to head to the parking lot located on the school's basement until they saw two male students practically tearing off each other. Their clothes were slightly torn off. This scene made Erza's vein popped out. She stomped towards the two and beat them to pulp which kinda surprised Jellal. He watched in amazement as the two pleaded for their lives. She has a demonic strength, hasn't she? This confirmed it. She's not definitely her. His Er-chan was the perfect personification of an angel unlike her. They may have the same smile. And they may have the same hair and eye color. But she's definitely not her. The storm in his head finally ceased.

She scolded and ordered the two of them to go home to their respective houses which the duo immediately did. She sighed a bit and finally faced Jellal. "Sorry about that. Let's proceed."

They walked as if nothing happened. Well, that was awkward. She shouldn't let the new student see that side of hers. She was so violent back there that she thought he scared him. She sighed. She should really attend an anger management program like what Lucy always recommended to her. Cursed it! It was Natsu and Gray's fault!

Erza was lost in her own ocean of thoughts until she saw a speeding car heading towards her. Her eyes widened and couldn't move. She was completely frozen. She tightly shut her eyes and waited for the car to clash with her poor body. She waited and waited until none came. No car was going to hit her. Instead of a car, she felt something cold and hard against her back. She immediately opened her eyes and surprised on what she saw. Jellal was pinning her on a wall of the parking lot with both his hands on her side. Her face immediately heated up and turned all red just like her hair. "T-thank you"

The driver stopped his car and yelled at them. "HEY MISSY! LOOK AT WHERE YOU'RE GOING, WILL YOU? I DON'T WANT ANY TROUBLE!" The driver kept on yelling to get their attention but to no avail so he just decided to continue on driving.

Jellal tucked a loose lock of Erza's scarlet hair behind her ear and leaned closer towards her. Her heart thumped loudly, even louder than before. What is he going to do? Her thoughts became fuzzy. What's happening to her? Their lips were inches away when she finally decided to shut her eyes tightly. She held her breath back until someone whispered on her ear. "Are you okay, Miss Scarlet?"

Upon hearing his soothing voice, she abruptly opened her eyes to see Jellal standing before her, a foot and a half away. She sighed heavily and got back to her old demeanor. "A-ah, yes I'm fine. Thanks for saving me. And you don't have to call me 'Miss Scarlet'. 'Erza' will do"

He shrugged his head. He couldn't call her by her name. It kinda sounded like hers. "No. I prefer calling you 'Miss Scarlet'. After all, you're from a very well-known family. Think of it as my form of respect"

She sighed. Not again. It was like she was in elementary again when people were trying to avoid her and give her special treatment. Just because she is from a very rich family doesn't mean she's not a normal person just like the others. Sometimes she wished she didn't come from a wealthy clan. Her lips curved into a small frown as her brown orbs reflected the sadness she felt. "Can you at least remove the 'Miss'?"

Jellal saw this and smiled maniacally in his head. He is going to be the one who will kill her, not any cheap car or something. He and he alone. His ocean of thoughts came to a stop and he finally responded to her. "Okay, if that's what you want, Scarlet"

This made her smile and the previous glow in her brown orbs returned. It made her feel somewhat happy. He's not bad after all. Maybe spending her two weeks with him isn't that bad. Heck, she'll enjoy this.

Unbeknownst to her, she just met her worst enemy.

* * *

Jellal was walking towards his apartment. The sun finally set half a minute ago and darkness descended upon the town of Magnolia. No stars, no moon, just the streetlights lighting his way. The night breeze was blowing upon him but he didn't mind the coldness. He kept on walking and walking, thinking what just happened earlier. Unknowingly, he smiled a bit, not the sly or the maniac one, just a small smile. He kinda had fun today. He suddenly felt his cellphone vibrating which made him realized he was spacing out. Someone's calling him. He took it off inside his pocket and pressed the 'answer' button.

"I found her, Father"

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry if it's kinda rushed, you see I can hardly breathe because of this stupid asthma of mine. Anyway, thanks for reading! Like I said before, I think I can't update this any faster but if I'll have a free time, I'll surely update this. Before I forgot, I want to thank those people who read, reviewed and added my one-shot in their favourites. Love you guys~

By the way, please leave a review. :DDD


	5. Friends or Rivals?

**A/N: **Here's Chapter 5. Anyway, thanks for all the favourites, alerts and reviews, guys! I appreciate them all! :DDD As a habit of mine, I'm going to mention these awesomest people: **Jacovy**, **babylovee**, **Guest 1**, **splitheart1120**, **xxTenshichaN25xx**, **Helekiller2**, **Guest 2**, **Peacefulliar**, **Polaris SPiCA-desu** and lastly, **Guest 3** (here's an update :D)

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fairy Tail and its characters. All rights belong to **Hiro Mashima**-sensei.

* * *

**Friends or Rivals?**

"Hey young citizens of this nation, this is our last topic included in your exam! Bear in mind that this test makes up 40% of your total grade, cool right? So study hard everyone!" A very spirited yet somewhat annoying voice boomed inside the classroom after a very solemn moment of taking down notes. Almost everyone in the class just ignored the speaker in front as he kept on blabbering something about some possible scenarios if they fail the test. "...so if you don't want to belong to the stray people, which is not cool, study hard. I mean REALLY HARD! Are we cool, guys?"

Almost everyone groaned in response.

"Cool! I remember the days when I was in your age. I..." The bell finally rang which interrupted the speaker in his possible ranting, much to his students delight. "I guess that's it! Goodbye class! Have a cool weekend!"

Everyone stands up and greeted their teacher goodbye. After their teacher left the room, they joined the growing crowd in the hallways and proceeded to the canteen, park or any possible place to eat.

* * *

"Urghh...I hate Trigonometry", a certain blonde girl groaned as she slammed her head on their lunch table. "I want to be a writer someday so why do I need to study Trigonometry? I mean, when I will use sine and cosine in my novels? It just doesn't make sense!" she protested in a muffled voice as her head was still on the table, forehead pressing the cold hard plastic.

"To improve your analysis". After that being spoken, the scarlet headed female resumed in eating her delectable strawberry cheesecake. As a piece of cake reached the inside of her mouth, flavors started to burst which made her smile like she was in a state of euphoria. The way the white sweet icing melt in her mouth just gave her enough reason to feel like she was in a paradise. Scratch that, she was in paradise.

Lucy, the blonde girl, raised her head to acknowledge what Erza just said. "What?" Receiving no response, she glared at her friend which seemed to be not affected. After glaring for a minute, she finally gave up feeling that it was no use. Besides, glaring could cause wrinkle and she didn't want that to happen. She was too young to have one! Instead of glaring, she shook Erza whose eyes were shut. She kept on shaking her until Erza finally opened her brown orbs and started paying attention to her. "Finally!", Lucy exclaimed in success. "Paradise again, huh?"

Erza shyly nodded. She was always like that every time her mouth made contact to a strawberry cheesecake. It was like she had just ate her first-ever cake in her entire life which was not true of course. The 'Erza' in front of Lucy was very different from the 'Erza' who always take everything seriously. As if she was not the 'Erza' who was the heiress of the biggest company in the whole Fiore.

"Well, stop it okay? Besides, it's rude. You should know that Miss Erza Scarlet. The one and only top 1 in Physics and...urghh...Trigonometry", Lucy said as she was reminded of that big exam in their Trigonometry class again. You see, Lucy here obviously hate any branch of Mathematics especially Trigonometry and Calculus. It was her weakness, after all. "How come you're so good at that subject? It's terribly hard and you can hardly understand the teacher. He's always like 'Cool! Cool! Cooooooool!'" she said while mimicking their teacher's voice which she failed terribly.

"That's simple. It's because I'm smart, that's all", Erza proudly said, a smug look on her face.

"Oh yeah? Okay Miss 'I-know-everything-cause-I'm-smart-and-all', care to explain why he is here!" Lucy said pointing at the boy with messy blue locks with a peculiar red marking adorning his face sitting beside Erza while eating his own lunch. "I believe 2 weeks had finally passed. What is he still doing here?"

Erza abruptly looked at him. Her brown orbs widened clearly showing her shock as realization dawned on her. She immediately retreated away from him as if she just saw a ghost sitting beside her and sat on the farthest end of their seat which was not that far from her previous place. She raised her index finger to point at him and spoke. "Y-yeah. What are you still doing here, hanging around with us?"

Jellal raised his head with his spoon still in his mouth to look at Erza. He looked innocent and undeniably cute with his emerald orbs showing confusion, or so Erza thought, while pointing at himself.

"Yes you!" both girls exclaimed.

He removed the silver spoon in his mouth and set it down as he began to speak. "Eating."

Erza stared wide-eyed for a moment before a glare finally made its way on her eyes. "I know that."

A smirk was plastered on Jellal's face as he saw the Erza's famous glare. For him, she was like a bomb. She would eventually explode. He wanted to witness that moment again like what happened two weeks ago with Natsu and Gray because, for some reason, she kept on preventing that side of hers to be shown when he was around and he kinda missed that feeling of excitement. Seeing her like that reminded him of how exciting and interesting that mission of his. "Then why is it you asked?"

Any minute now her temper would finally worn out but she kept on struggling not to. She didn't want any bad impression from the new kid. Besides, if she would yell at him here, everyone would know what she had done and rumors about her being a demon or monster would eventually spread. She did not want that to happen again. She sighed heavily. "Forget about it."

Seeing she finally regained her loss temper, Jellal sighed in defeat and spoke. "We are friends, aren't we?" Maybe next time.

Erza and Lucy looked at each other then at him. Surprise was evident on their faces as Jellal repeated what he just said. Lucy opened her mouth but then decided to close it for she had no idea how to respond. And besides, it was Erza who was hanging around with him for two whole weeks. Lucy turned her head towards Erza again to see her reaction. She was as surprise as she but then a smile suddenly crept onto her lips. Erza's mouth started to open as she decided to speak. "Yes we are."

* * *

Just before the sun finally set on the horizon, school was finally over. Students filled the hallways as they made their way towards the exit. Almost everyone was carrying piles and piles of books to bring at their homes for their exams next week. Next week, they would meet their own hell.

Like those students, Erza and Lucy also started to walk home. Erza decided to tutor Lucy in Trigonometry right after they finish their dinner in exchange of a dozen strawberry cheesecakes. Better than failing, she agreed with her.

"Hey Erza, do you have feelings for Jellal", Lucy bluntly asked. A teasing smile made its way onto her lips as she nudged Erza on her side. Lucy noticed the way she looked and smiled at him earlier. It was so foreign Lucy's eyes. In fact, she hadn't seen her like that. Well, there's always first times for everything.

Erza was taken aback from her question and almost stumbled. She blushed but immediately shrugged it off. Truthfully, she was feeling something about him but it was neither infatuation nor love. It was a negative feeling she could not pinpoint. She mentally shrugged her head. No, she should not judge a person unless she knew him very well. "No"

"Wow, you're so straightforward. But I know there WILL BE something~"

* * *

A week had passed since their big exam in Trigonometry. A lot of groaned could be heard from the classroom as their teacher gave back their papers. As expected from Class 2-2, many failed. As a result, a very depressing aura loomed around the classroom.

There were only six papers left on their teacher's grasp as he began to speak and waved the remaining papers on the air."Cool! Okay class, the owners of these people are cool enough to pass the exam. I will call them from lowest to highest. First off is Ms. Lucy Heartfilia who miraculously passed the exam"

Lucy was jumping with joy on her seat until she heard what her teacher said about her miraculously passing the exam. "Hey! I'm smart, just so you know. And I actually studied!" she said as she received her paper.

"Cool! Next is our super cool grandson of our principal, Mr. Laxus Dreyar!"

He groaned as he heard the word 'grandson' and 'principal' together. He didn't want to be known like that. He wanted to create his own path with his own abilities. Everyone knew that. Stupid teacher.

"Next here is Class 2-2's nicest beauty, Ms. Mirajane Strauss."

"No, she's not", everyone murmured which made Mirajane darkly smile. As soon as they saw this, they spoke in unison. "Yeah she is! Go Mirajane!"

"Hahaha cool! Next is our petite sweetheart, Ms. Levy McGarden"

When the teacher announced Levy's name, Jet and Droy began cheering and chanting praises about Levy. Well, everyone expected that from those two love-struck fellows.

"Okay, we're down to our last two. The difference between the scores of our highest and second to the highest is merely 3 points. It's so cool, right? And also, our highest actually got a perfect score!" he exclaimed as he began spinning around like an idiot. "So, are you ready to know who's the highest?"

Almost everyone groaned in response. "Sir, this is not a TV show! Just say it!". Though they perfectly knew who it will be. The usual. Erza Scarlet.

"Okay, our second to the highest is Ms. Erza Scarlet! And our highest is our newbie, Mr. Jellal Fernandes!" he exclaimed with all his breath as he returned the papers to its respective owners. Everyone gasped for they did not expect that someone in their class will actually beat Erza on her own game. They cautiously turned their heads towards Erza, expecting to see a fuming demon about to ripped poor Jellal's body but instead they saw a smirking Erza.

Erza never thought that of all people, he would be the one who was going to beat her. She was neither sad nor angry. In fact, she was delighted because she finally found someone whom she could call her own rival. They were friends yet rivals.

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**A/N: **Animators, I want to see Erza and Jellal's kiss in the anime already! Who's with me? XD

Anyway, sorry for my long absence (more than a month). You see, college has been eating away my time and actually, I need to study hard because I'm aiming to become a Dean's Lister by the end of the semester and all-throughout my college life. I know you all understand, right? By the way, I don't have to mention who's their teacher in Trigonometry, right? It's so obvious! :DDD


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